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Disney chairman: I've never been more excited about India

Andy Bird, chairman of Walt Disney International, said the company is not abandoning local content production in India, despite its decision last year to close Bollywood film production.

Bird said India is often overshadowed by the growth of China, but prospects for the country are very bright, reported Variety.


"I've never been more excited about India. That comes after a decade of frustration," said Bird, speaking at the Asia Pacific Video Operators Summit (APOS) convention in Indonesia on Wednesday.

He said the decision to close down Disney's Indian film production operations last year has been misunderstood by the industry.

"It was misinterpreted that we were giving up on local production," said Bird, adding, the company has a slate of 12 products in development.

He explained that the changing possibilities offered by expanding bandwidth and mobile access mean that Disney is more able to experiment with new business models.

"In India we've had content which debuted on Facebook, then went to YouTube and then to traditional TV in third place. The economics of the Indian cinema industry are just not catching up," said Bird.

Another factor behind the decision was the growing popularity of Hollywood movies in India.

Bird said that Disney has up to 24 businesses able to use the corporation's intellectual property.

Bird said Asia continues to represent some of the fastest growth rates in the world for Disney, while also being at the cutting edge of the analog to digital transformation.

"(In two to three years) we expect to be a digitally focused, mobile first, multi-faceted company," said Bird.

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Olivia Munn reveals co-star rejected rescue scene, saying: “She can’t save me, we’re not doing this”

Highlights

  • Olivia Munn recalls on-set dispute during action scene
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  • Production paused for around 45 minutes during disagreement
  • Actor also revisits past claim of director undermining her career

On-set clash over action scene

Olivia Munn has revealed that a male co-star once refused to film a scene in which her character saved his, bringing production to a halt for nearly 45 minutes.

Speaking on The Drew Barrymore Show, she said the disagreement arose during the filming of an action sequence where both characters were fighting side by side in a bunker.

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